This issue
- Principal’s Message
- Important Dates
- Learning Conversations
- Open Night August
- 2026 Parent Survey
- Pathways Update
- World’s Greatest Shave
- ASMS Music Festival
- Z and Tau
- Terra Knowing
- Earth and Cosmos
- Enrichment News
- SASPA Conference
- PMEG Session 2
- Book Week & Library News
- MASA Quiz Night
- Maths and Misinformation
- Materials and Services Charge Information
Principal’s Message
2027 Year 12 subject selections: Year 11s are currently evaluating, planning and deciding on their learning program for 2027. In 2027 we have one new subject (Pathways in Mathematics) and a rebadged subject (Design, Technologies and Engineering in place of Industrial Design). We’ve had student and parent information sessions and we’re here for any questions; the presentation from the parent night will be emailed to parents soon. It’s important that students’ decisions are pathway and passion based when choosing learning programs and pathways, not in anticipation of playing the grades, scaling and ATAR game. Students will submit their preferences by the end of the term.
SSO Week: Last week, we celebrated SSO Week to express our appreciation for the invaluable contributions of our School Services Officers (SSOs). Many of our Learning Studies groups showed their appreciation for an SSO for the week, presenting them with small gifts to recognise their work. These celebrations fostered a sense of community and highlighted the essential role SSOs play in supporting the educational environment at ASMS. Schools cannot function without our support staff. Just think about it… without support staff students don’t get enrolled, facilities aren’t maintained, students don’t have the 1:1 learning support they need, messages don’t get through, bills unpaid, practicals not prepared, no systems to use, payroll and leave stalls, no one knows where to go or when to be there! Thankyou to our Support Staff.
Staffing News: Martin Gray is currently undergoing treatment for low-grade follicular lymphoma (non-Hodgkins lymphoma) and, as a result, will be leaving the ASMS to undergo chemotherapy from August 28 2026. We wish Martin all the best for his treatment and look forward to seeing him at the ASMS in the future. Jesse Atkinson will be taking on Martin’s English Literary Studies class and Breandan Wolff will take on Martin’s LS and CS teaching.
Our Year 12 students are approaching the final phase of their schooling. Next week, they will have the chance to practice taking exams, which will help them prepare for the end-of-year assessments. Year 12s, make the most of this opportunity to assess your strengths, identify areas for growth, and fine-tune your study strategies—don’t hesitate to seek our help and guidance along the way.
Don’t Forget 😊 ASMS Parent Facebook Page: A Facebook page is available for parents of students at the ASMS, created and run by parents to provide a space for networking, chatting, organising, and adding value to the school culture. While not officially representing the school, teachers and staff are welcome to join and connect. The group encourages respectful discussion and aims to maintain a positive environment for all members. The page can be found here.
ISSF Barbeque Parent Volunteers: In 2026 the Australian Science and Mathematics School will be hosting the International Students Science Fair from November 30 – December 4 with many schools from across the globe coming to our school to collaborate with science as a focus. On the Wednesday night (2 December 6pm) there will be a Cultural Evening with the students hosting cultural stalls and doing performances for everyone. The dinner that night will be an ‘Aussie barbecue’ and we are looking for 5-10 more parents to support the event. If you are interested in supporting this event, please email me (kylie.eggers547@schools.sa.edu.au).
Important Dates
| PMEG Session 3 | 3 September |
| R U OK? Day | 10 September |
| School Closure Day | 11 September |
| Learning Conversations | 16 September & 22 September |
| School Holidays | 28 September to 12 October |
Learning Conversations
Bookings for Learning Conversations are now open. Learning Conversations are available on Wednesday 16 September and Tuesday 22 September 2026. Some teachers may have extra times available, and you will see this once you are logged in.
Learning Conversations are an important aspect of the learning culture at the ASMS. It is an opportunity for your child to reflect and celebrate their growth in their Learning Attributes across the year. It is an expectation that all ASMS students will lead a Learning Conversation with their Learning Studies teacher and a caregiver.
If your child’s Learning Studies class has two teachers, please only book in with one teacher.
Please see instructions at the link here for booking through Daymap.
Please log on to Daymap to make your booking here.
If you are having issues logging in, please email ICT@asms.sa.edu.au or call the school.
Open Night August
Our staff and students had a ball hosting potential students and families to the ASMS on Wednesday of Week 7 for our final Open Night of the year.
Visitors could also check our pathways and careers section in the void, as well as our enrichment and international programs before seeing displays from our current Central Studies including Terra Knowing, Earth and Cosmos and Z and Tau. Guests could visit our Ideation Studio to see what our students get up to in Industrial Design, or head over to our lab to get involved in hands-on demonstrations from our Year 12 Sciences.
Our Mathematics, English and Humanities teams were also on standby to answer any queries from visitors about our Stage 2 subjects.
We cannot wait to welcome new families to our community for the 2027 school year!
2026 Parent Survey
The annual Parent Survey is now underway and will close at midnight on Sunday 6 September.
The survey provides parents and carers with an opportunity to share their views and help improve education at our school. It focuses on:
- What we’re doing well
- Where we can improve
- What is important to you as a parent or carer
Your responses are confidential. Neither you nor your child can be identified, and only collated feedback is provided to our school.
You should have already received a link to the survey via email or SMS. Reminder messages are also being sent unless you have already completed the survey or chosen to unsubscribe.
We strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your feedback is valuable and helps guide our school improvement efforts.
For more information about the Parent Survey, visit the Department for Education website. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and support our school’s ongoing improvement.
Pathways Update
Term 3 Holiday Revision Seminars
Adelaide Tuition Centre has released its September/October Holiday Revision Seminars. The focus for this set of seminars is Exam Revision.
Sessions are typically 3 hours and cost $90 per session, or $85 when booking 3 or more.
Each seminar summarises important theory, key concepts and practical skills essential to each Year 12 SACE subject. This can be a great way to refresh students memory, get a deeper understanding and prepare for exams.
Year 12s are encouraged to discuss with their subject teacher the suitability for you personally and which sessions may be most beneficial for them.
Virtual Seminars are offered as 5x 2hr course for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematical Methods, for $360
SATAC Information for Year 12s and Families
Reminder that SATAC Applications open 3rd August for 2027 entry, early bird fees will end on September 30. Year 12s are highly encouraged to make sure their applications are in by this date.
SATAC has released the 2027 Course Guide and Tertiary Entrance electronic books.
You may wish to find the course you are considering for preferences and confirm prerequisites and other details. Check for any updates in SATAC codes based on campus or study format.
SATAC NDIS Applicants.
Starting for 2027 undergraduate applications, applicants who are participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) during their Year 12 studies will be eligible to apply for the University Equity Scheme through individual equity adjustments.
Applicants can provide evidence of their NDIS participation through their mySATAC account when applying for the equity scheme. This information will remain confidential and private and will not be visible to institutions.
For further information about equity adjustments, visit the Adjustment Factors page on SATAC’s website.
2027 Flinders Extension Studies
Otherwise known as University Extension Studies (UES) at ASMS, UES offers a chance for a 2027 Year 12 student to replace one year long SACE subject with two semester long university topics. UES at Flinders University is a program that allows high‑achieving Year 12 students to study real university topics while still at school. It’s a chance to experience university early, boost their ATAR, and even secure guaranteed entry into a Flinders degree.
While applications are not open yet, Flinders has a information session coming up. If current Year 11 students are even remotely considering UES, ASMS strongly recommends registering for the session so they know what it is about.
PLEASE NOTE: This information session will be about how it works from Flinders Universities point of view, there will be separate information about how it works from the ASMS point of view in Term 4, closer to the application opening date.
September 16, 2026 | 5pm – 6pm (ACST)
Hear from a Flinders Extension Studies Coordinators on everything you need to know about applying for 2027, eligibility, what to expect from participating in the program. Registrations are essential.
Further information about UES can be found on the Flinders website here.
Career Expo
The Week 3 ASMS Career Expo was a great success. Expanding from a ‘mini’ expo with 5 Tertiary providers in 2025 to a larger experience with 12 Industry connections and Tertiary Providers. The exhibitors all had a very positive impression of our students being polite, inquisitive and well informed. This is an important time of year for many of our students, locking in university preferences, making decisions about Year 12 subjects and exploring all the potential career pathways available to them.
The presenters did an amazing job of meeting the needs and questions of as many of our students as possible, providing resources, knowledge and real-world action available to our students. Students found the answers to their questions and for the most part enjoyed the new format. We will seek to build upon this success and increase the range of presenters in 2027.
A massive thank you to our tertiary providers and industry connections, which made this possible.
Thoughts from students:
Tabitha – “I thought that it was really good and informative.”
Jackson – “It was very good and was great to get informed on what my desired university course is like.”
Jessie – “I prefer the new format as there was more space, which allowed more students to talk to different presenters.”
World’s Greatest Shave
Earlier in the year, students and teachers signed up for the World’s Greatest Shave, to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation, and it all took place on Friday the 14th of August.
Many thanks to the students, who eagerly got on board to raise funds. Not only did we manage to raise just over $5500 both online and on the day, but these students pushed and got their friends involved to help cook a barbecue which raised a further $419 and make the event a success on the day.
With many smiles, cheers, and buzzing clippers, students and teachers lost their braided hair which will be sent off and put to use as wigs for those that need them. The money raised will not only support further research, but provide those diagnosed with transportation and places to stay during their treatment, as well as funding lab equipment updates so that research stays on track.
A big congratulations to all those that took part and thank you for all your support!
ASMS Music Festival
On Wednesday 19 August the school community was treated to a show of talents from students who performed at the Music Festival. A huge thank you to the students who sang or played music in front of their peers as it is not an easy thing to do. Thank you to Kyran Zippel and Jordan for their help in organising this event.
Z and Tau
Story Mode
In Story Mode, we have been looking at how video games tell stories. Students have explored the physical structure of maps and how environment design can tell its own story. Using this, they then designed their own video game map.
Outside the Emergency Room
In Outside the Emergency Room rotation 1, we took a trip to the city to get our first aid certification. Students finished their module by training with the lovely instructor Deb and are now qualified lifesavers!
Terra Knowing
In Terra Knowing recently, students have been applying their learning to a range of challenge scenarios connected to the core themes of the course. These challenges have explored salinity and groundwater, soil and acid rain, monitoring the health of local waterways, vertical farming and sustainable urban agriculture, managing urban heat islands, and monitoring and managing soil compaction.
Students have worked independently to investigate their chosen problem before designing their own investigations to develop a deeper understanding of the issue. Within their teams, students then select their strongest experimental ideas and put them into practice in the laboratory. It has been fantastic to see them working collaboratively in small teams as scientists.
The variety of approaches students have taken has been wonderful to see, along with the learning that has emerged through experimentation, problem-solving and refinement. This work has been a great demonstration of the principles of ASMS through practical, hands-on learning, student agency and capability-focused learning.
Earth and Cosmos
EaC is now well into Module 2 – What’s out there. Students are rotating through the learning sequences with half the classes focussed on the History of the Space race and whether Valentina Tereskova could be considered a Soviet propaganda piece, and then moving on to comparing the texts: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Sentinel in terms of sci-fi conventions, genre and genre subversion.
The other half of the classes have been learning about how we have located and identified features of the universe and evidence for these features such as the cosmic ladder and Cepheid variable stars using trigonometric functions. This has been a lovely cross over between the Earth and Space science strands and the mathematics strands giving real world context to why maths learning in particular is so valuable.
Moving forward, in Week 8 we will be rounding out the term by investigating NASA’s DART mission and planetary defence against meteorites using our understandings of Newton’s Laws and the equations of motion. This will also incorporate some coding and robotics as we use the Spheros to model meteorite trajectory towards Earth.
Enrichment News
On Wednesday 29 July, we held the Annual ASMS Multicultural Day, where students and staff got an opportunity to share the culture and background that represents them. We held a cultural dress parade where traditional clothing and flags were displayed, a range of cultural workshops were run, students within their Learning Studies group taught each other cultural greetings and of course we had a large variety of different cultural foods as part of the food fair at lunchtime. This event is such a wonderful display of student agency, and we are so grateful to the students for their teamwork, as well as the organisation of our staff. It was a wonderful day of learning and inclusion enjoyed by all.
Multicultural day is one of the best school days I have attended as it is a great opportunity for me to share my culture with my colleagues and students. – Wendy, Teacher
“We had a great opportunity to share food and cultures on Wednesday 29th July at the Multicultural Day Lunch. We raised enough money to cover the Sponsorship for Lubelihle, our World Vision child plus some to go towards the Indigenous Literacy Fund.” – Debbie, SSO
This was my third time participating in the ASMS Multicultural Day. I enjoyed celebrating my culture by wearing Thai dress, and trying delicious Lebanese, Brazilian, Indian, and Chinese food from the food stalls! – Rosa, Yr 12
“The ASMS Multicultural day was an amazing opportunity for me to share my culture and tell my friends and peers where I am from. Overall, it was a fun event that helped everyone learn more about each other and the different cultures from around the world.” Ishnoor, Year 11
It was great to see students and staff coming together, sharing different cultures, food and experiences in such a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. – Tun, Teacher
On Friday 7 August, Week 2, we had 3 diverse Enrichment opportunities.
Winter Conversations: Future of AI with Her Excellency the Governor
Her Excellency the Governor invited ASMS to attend her event called ‘Future of Ai’ as part of The Winter Conversation Series. This is an annual, public program of engaging and thought-provoking conversations between the Governor and outstanding South Australians. Students had the opportunity to explore bold ideas and current issues through dynamic conversations with leaders within our state, followed by Q and A with the audience. Our students engaged with members of the public and members on the panel, being Dr Brenton Cooper, founder of FiveCast, an AI-powered intelligence analytics company; and Professor Simon Lucey, Director, Australian Institute of Machine Learning at Adelaide University. Here is a glimpse of our students’ experience on the day.
“It was really enriching to see a variety of perspectives on such a sensitive and worrying topic.” – Kayleigh, Yr 10
“The Winter Conversation around the future of AI was a great way to see the different perspectives around this pressing issue. It was very positive to see that our community was proactive and interested in this kind of issue facing our world today.” – Beth, Yr 11
STEM Careers Day – Science Alive
Frank and Kay took 30 students to the Adelaide Showgrounds, for the STEM Careers Day at the Science Alive event. Students got to engage in conversations about careers and pathways with over 80 exhibitors and experience interactive zones designed for students exploring future study and career pathways in local industries.
Road to Research
On Monday 10th August, Rogan took a group of students to the Flinders Medical Research Building to participate in the ‘Road to Research’ event. It was an excellent way for our students interested in the field of research and medicine to talk to students currently working on their PhD projects and for them to learn about the current research that has been happening, as well as ask career and pathways questions.
Lot Fourteen Tour
On Tuesday 11 August, Week 3, Nikki took a group of Year 11 students to Lot Fourteen on North Terrace to explore their cutting-edge facilities and get some insight into how they are global leaders in technology and science. Students engaged with industry representatives from Australian Space Agency & Mission Control, Australian Centre for Machine Learning (AIML), and Defence & Cybersecurity Hubs. It was a great experience; and we endeavour to run another session at Lot Fourteen for a group of our Year 10 students next term.
“The LOT 14 excursion was an amazing experience that gave many students, including myself, the opportunity to gain insights into career pathways in Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Information Technology, as well as fields related. Throughout the day, we interacted with AI software and models presented by professionals from Adelaide University, listened to different perspectives of experts sharing their journeys, and learned about pathways available for pursuing careers in these fields. We also participated in hands-on cybersecurity activities that helped us develop a better understanding of the industry. In addition, they were given a presentation at the Australian Space Agency, in which we learned about satellite communication and how experts use advanced technology to overcome challenges beyond our atmosphere. Overall, the excursion was engaging and educational, providing a deeper understanding of various STEM careers. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” – Meharbir, Year 11
“The LOT14 excursion was an amazing opportunity to connect with the space industry and the cyber industry to see the new and emerging technologies.” – Ishnoor, Year 11
SASPA Conference
A team from ASMS presented at the recent South Australian Secondary Principals’ Association conference. Our workshop was on Shaping the Agency Landscape: Leadership Strategies for Inclusive Empowerment and was co-presented by staff and students. Through a range of lenses, we explored how agency is supported and enacted at the school. We include prompted discussion time to provoke reflection amongst the principals and other educators in our audience. Our students circulated at these times, answering questions and providing their unique insights into the challenges and benefits of agency. Delegates were also excited to hear from our Laboratory Manager, Anna Zilm, on her perspectives as a support staff member. We received so much positive feedback, which only serves to strengthen our resolve to continue building agency for all.
“The SASPA conference was a deeply insightful experience that allowed us to see what influences our lives as students. We observed critical unpacking of current issues and had debates around proposed solutions. The conference also allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of decision making processes and presentations.” – Levi
The SASPA conference was informative and interesting, I really enjoyed most of the conference and it does give me heaps of inspiration as a Changemaker. – Caden
I’ve never really been to a formal event like this before! But I got to go out and talk to a few of the teachers and principals there, and they turned out to be really nice people. There was a lot I learned from listening/participating in the breakout sessions, too. – Alexa
PMEG Session 2
On Thursday Week 3 we welcomed our Primary Mathematics Extension Group students back to engage with some tricky maths problems and work on their projects and posters supported by their ASMS student mentors.
The primary students are preparing to present their posters at the ASMS PMEG Expo on Thursday Week 7.
Book Week & Library News
MASA Quiz Night
On Tuesday of Week 4 our students participated in the annual MASA Quiz Night here at ASMS. Well done to Yo, Will, Jai and Jackson who won Best Overall, Anton, Rosa, Lauren and Div who won Best Mathematics and Julia, Arlo and Ishnoor who won Best General Knowledge in the Senior Division! A great time was had by all and we would like to extend a special congratulations and thank you to Jo Kellaway whose ongoing efforts in developing and facilitating events like these with MASA is greatly appreciated by our students and community.
Maths and Misinformation
In the few hours between school and Open Night on Wednesday Week 4, some our students participated in a mathematics and misinformation seminar and Q&A with Oxford PhD candidate and Rhodes scholar Bridget Smart.
“It was enlightening to see the different career pathways that can come from your passions, and the kind of opportunities available to study abroad.” – Beth
“Listening to Bridget and asking her about her scholarship and past experiences was incredibly insightful. I enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of life after high school from a scholar’s perspective as it has really encouraged and inspired me for my future endeavours, especially as I have similar goals as she did at my age. I can’t wait to shape my own future in a similar way, and to see where Bridget goes next!” – Rianne
“I was fascinated by the unique nature of her research, applying statistical networks to transmission of misinformation on social media platforms. This inspired me in my own view of mathematics: not as a list of formulas, rather as a way of interpreting the world around me. She also touched on her education journey to where she is today, which was quite an unconventional pathway. More than anything, this encouraged me that my own journey does not have to be a series of successes mapped out from here until my career; so long as I am following my passions and interests I will get to where I need to be precisely when I need to be there. Having a smaller group of participants meant we were able to ask specific questions in relation to our interests and learning intentions, to which she provided much wisdom and insight.” – Matthew
Materials and Services Charge Information
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If you are having any issues with the portal, or Daymap, please get in touch with by emailing ict@asms.sa.edu.au.